


Crazy On the Outside (ON HIATUS UNTIL 2018)

by edith681



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 10:57:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10740303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edith681/pseuds/edith681
Summary: Jackie and Chloe have been trapped inside a building for their whole lives, never having seen the outside world, along with many other kids. Having been told by the adults that run the building that the outside world is extremely dangerous, most of them believe it, but Chloe sees things from a different view. When Jackie and Chloe decide to escape so Chloe can find her parents, they venture out into the real world. How will they deal with being outside for the first time? How will they find Chloe's parents? And how will they help their new friends deal with their problems?





	1. What's Out There?

_17 years ago:_

_Chloe could see her parents looking down at her. Her mother had tears in her eyes. She didn't want to give her baby up. Chloe couldn't even speak yet, and her mother had to give her away._

_"Goodbye, honeybee," she whispered one more ttime, and handed her little girl over to Brandon._

_•••_

Beep, beep, beep! The alarms went off simultaneously. Chloe, along with all the other kids, woke up. 7 am. Chloe was not a morning person, and in more than 17 years of being in the Alex Croft building, she had never gotten used to waking up at that hour.

Everybody made their beds and then, at 7:05, made their way down to the meal room. Everyone sat in their assigned chairs and ate what they were served. Nobody said a word. Except for Chloe. Chloe, against the rules, always tried to talk to the other kids. No matter how many times Howard Polansky, the leader of the building, reassigned her seat, she would always try and talk to the other kids.

"Psst!" she hissed. "Jackie!"

Jackie continued to face forward, but her eyes shifted over to look at Chloe.

"Jackie," said Chloe, a little louder. Unfortunately, one of the adults heard.

"Chloe Simmons!" she said loudly.

"Yes, Ms. Hall?" asked Chloe innocently.

"No talking during mealtime. Or do I have to reassign your seat again?"

"Pfft." Chloe started laughing. "Ms. Hall," she managed when she finally caught her breath. "You can reassign my seat as many times as you would like. It's not going to stop my talking or my curiosity. You can't stifle my curiosity." She put her hands down hard on the table with a bang, and stood up from her seat.

Ms. Hall came around the table to the opposite end, right across from where Chloe was sitting, leaned over the table, and banged her hands on the table, looking directly across the table at Chloe.

"Curiosity killed the cat," she said flatly, with an undertone of anger.

Chloe just stuck her tongue out at Ms. Hall, who stood up from the table.

"Breakfast is over!" she yelled. "Everyone get to class."

•••

"OK, class," said Mr. Bryant. "Now who can tell me what the square root of 99 is?"

Barbara was the only one in a class of 32 to raise her hand. She was only 14, but she always knew the answers, especially in math class. But the teacher tested everyone's knowledge, and 50% of the time he called on Chloe, with a seat at the back of the class, and she hardly ever paid attention.

Today Chloe was writing more and drawing pictures of what she thought the outside world was like.

Mr. Bryant was suddenly at her desk, and easily leaned over and carefully and slowly shut her notebook.

Chloe slowly looked up. "Hi, Mr. Bryant."

"Chloe Simmons. Is there anything you would like to add?"

"Mr. Bryant, are there zombies out there?"

Mr. Bryant avoided the question. "Will you please tell me the answer?"

"Um...chromosomes?"

The whole class laughed.

"Chloe, this is math class," said Mr. Bryant.

"Oh," whispered Chloe.

Mr. Bryant sighed. "Excuse me, class, I have to leave. I will be back soon. No talking." He looked directly at Chloe.

•••

As soon as Mr. Bryant left, Jackie leaned over to Chloe.

"Read," she whispered. "Go on. Get up there."

"Go on!" cried Alan. "Do it. Come on, read. Read."

He started chanting, and Jackie joined in. Ben joined in too. Even Barbara started going.

"Read, read, read, read, read, read, read!"

Okay, okay, okay already!" said Chloe, and with a huge smile, walked up to the front of the class to read what she had written.

•••

"So," said Alex Croft, head of the building. "We're here to discuss Chloe Simmons."

"May I say something?" Ms. Hall asked.

"Certainly, Ms. Hall," said Alex. "Proceed."

"She interrupted breakfast again with her incessant talking and her irritating curiosity."

"She interrupted class to ask if there were zombies out there," said Mr. Bryant.

"This has to stop," said Max Jenson.

"I agree," said Alex Croft. "This has to end. What should we do? Any suggestions?"

"Writing. Her writing. It seems to be the only thing she's passionate about," said Mr. Bryant.

"It's how she expresses her feelings and how she explores what's out there. It's how she lets her curiosity and imagination out."

"So the answer is easy," said Alex Croft. "We just have to take away her writing."

"I'll get on it right away," said Mr. Bryant.

•••

"Chapter 13," began Chloe. The whole class leaned in expectantly.

"Sam took a deep breath as she stepped onto the outside, furious with herself for not realizing how badly she wanted her freedom sooner, and as she looked back, she realized she would never see the school again. She didn't care, but she really cared about her friends. She wondered if she would ever see them again. She really wanted to save them all, but before she could save them, she first had to save herself. And as she walked away, she wondered what the future would hold for her and everybody she cared about. She could only wonder. And hope."

Chloe shut her notebook. "The next chapter will be here shortly."

"You want to escape," said Jackie from the back of the class.

"What?" asked Chloe.

"That's right. I know you better than anyone Chloe. I'm your best friend, you can't lie to me. I know that story is based on your life, and I know the character Sam is based on you. I know you're representing what you want to happen in the near future."

Chloe just walked behind the teacher's desk and put her notebook down on it.

"Not the near future. The immediate future. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" The class started talking quietly.

Chloe clapped her hands loudly. "Everyone! We need a plan."

"How are we supposed to make a plan so that you can escape?"

"You mean so that we can escape," said Jackie, and went up to the desk. "If you're leaving this place, I'm coming with you."

"But-"

"That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

"OK. So here's what I'm thinking. You guys get everyone to start a food fight, which has never happened, and then me and Jackie get out the door, find my parents, who are in the United States, so it shouldn't take us too long, and then the four of us come back for you guys."

"Wait," said Barbara. "Your parents?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Look around," said Barbara, climbing up and standing on her chair. "We're it. I mean, not just this classroom, but this building is it. You have no parents. They either became zombies or they got vaporized like 90% of the world."

"They're out there!" Chloe yelled.

"They are not. So here's the deal. We do this for you, you two escape, you get out of the town, Jackie goes for help, and Chloe comes back for the rest of us."

"One moment," said Chloe, and she and Jackie got into a huddle.

"Jackie, we need to find my parents," whispered Chloe.

"You really think they're out there?"

"I know they are."

"What if we cross our fingers behind our backs?" Jackie whispered.

"Good idea," said Chloe.

They looked back up. "Deal," said Jackie.

"Deal," said Chloe, but the rest of the class didn't know that Jackie had her fingers on her left hand crossed behind her back and Chloe had the fingers on her right hand crossed behind her back. The girls held each other's hands and Chloe threw her hand up in the air, taking Jackie's with her.

The whole class cheered.

"Quick, sit down," said Barbara.

Chloe grabbed her notebook and everyone sat down.

•••

"Hello, class," said Mr. Bryant as he walked into the class. "I'm glad to see that you're all still seated. Chloe Simmons."

"Yes, Mr. Bryant?" Chloe asked.

Mr. Bryant walked to the back of the class and grabbed Chloe's pencil right out of her hand and took her pen, which was lying right beside her notebook.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" cried Chloe, getting up from her chair to defend herself.

"Sit down. Or I'll take away your notebook as well."

Chloe slowly lowered herself into her seat, clutching her notebook to her chest.

"Attention, class!" Mr. Bryant announced. "Creative writing is dangerous. Thinking about the outside world is dangerous. Imagination is dangerous. No more creative writing. Ever. Chloe, if I catch you writing creatively or writing about fantasies in your head, I will take that notebook and burn it."

•••

Later that night, Chloe and her 5 cabin mates were getting ready for bed, and after Chloe had finished brushing her teeth, she was sitting with her window open, staring off into the night sky, watching a small red dot.

Marvin came over to her. "You should close that window. What will Alex Croft do to us if he finds you sitting with the window open?"

"Don't worry, it's fine." Chloe shrugged it off. "Besides, why put in windows if we're not supposed to open them or stare out of them?"

"What's that red thing?" Jackie asked.

"I don't know," said Chloe. "But it seems to be getting closer." She suddenly got excited. "Maybe it'll come in through the window!"

"Oh, no, Chloe, that's an outside object," said Leo. "Alex Croft says that outside objects are very dangerous."

"It doesn't look dangerous," said Chloe. It was a red ball on a string floating towards her window. Chloe went to grab the string.

"Chloe, no!" cried Sierra. "Be careful."

Chloe jerked her hand back, then slowly stretched it out again and grabbed the string, pulling the object in through the window.

"Are you crazy?" asked Maya.

"No," said Chloe. "I'm just curious. And adventurous."

"Oh, no," said Jackie. "Alex Croft says that those two things are very dangerous, especially when combined."

"This is not dangerous," insisted Chloe, waving the balloon in front of her best friend's face. Jackie was careful to avoid touching it. "This is beautiful. It makes me feel happy." She went to rub it against her cheek.

"Yeah, well it makes me feel unhappy." Jackie didn't feel unhappy, but she didn't know how to express herself any differently. The children who were stuck in the building were only taught to know two emotions: happy and unhappy.

Jackie pointed out the window. "Put that outside now or I'm gonna tell on you."

"You wouldn't do that. You're my best friend."

Jackie sighed. "Fine, just as long as you don't touch me with it."

Maya started laughing. "Look what it did to your hair!"

Chloe got up and looked in the bathroom mirror. She laughed when she saw that the balloon had messed up her hair. Maya held her hand out. "Hey, can I try it?"

She rubbed it against her head, then pulled her hand away. The balloon remained stuck to her head.

"Maya, look out!" Jackie yelled. "It's trying to eat your hair."

She tried to grab the balloon by the string, but Sierra grabbed it and rubbed it against her head. "Look! Now I look funny just like you two!"

"That does it. I'm telling." Jackie ran down the hallway, yelling "Alex Croft! Chloe and my cabin mates have an outside object, and it's trying to eat their hair!"

"Why is she acting crazy?" Maddie asked.

"No clue," said Samantha. "My turn!"

The kids were laughing, rubbing the balloon against their hair when suddely Jackie Peterson walked in followed by Alex Croft. All the girls scrambled to their beds, and Chloe stood up and hid the balloon behind her back.

"Um, Alex Croft," she said. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Hand it over," said Alex Croft. "Miss Peterson came to me with the notion that you might have acquired an outside object through the window."

"She's hiding it behind her back." Jackie pointed at Chloe.

"Ah, Chloe Simmons. You're the girl with the dangerous adventurousness and definitive curiosity. Let's have it."

"Alex Croft, wait," said Leo. Alex looked over to him.

"Yes, Leo?" he asked.

"This object," he said, taking the balloon from Chloe and showing it to the entirety of cabin 5, "is not dangerous. It's something incredible. It's amazing. And we've been happy in here with this thing. And if this is what the world has to offer, I want to see all of it."

"May I see it?" asked Alex Croft.

"Sure." Leo handed it to Alex. The whole cabin held their breath to see what Alex Croft would do.

They didn't have to wait long. Alex put it on the floor and stomped on it, popping it. "Outside objects are extremely dangerous," he said coldly. "I'm going to have those windows boarded up tomorrow, so that nothing like this ever happens again. Now everybody get to bed. Immediately."

He left and everyone got into bed.

After he was gone, the kids started talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Chloe, can I please go with you and Jackie tomorrow morning?" Leo asked. "I want to see more things like what floated in the window tonight."

Chloe shook her head. "I'm sorry, Leo, the more of us go, the more chance of us getting caught. I can't risk that. I have to find my parents."

"I know they're out there," said Sierra.

"Me, too," said Chloe.

"Chloe," said Jackie. "We have a big day tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

"OK, Jackie. Night."

•••

The next morning the alarm clocks went off at the usual time. Usually Chloe was bored and annoyed and drained, even though she couldn't identify those feelings, but today she felt ecstatic, although she couldn't specifically identify that feeling either. Today she and Jackie were getting out. They didn't know what shape things would be in, seeing as how the adults never gave them any definitive answers, and they didn't know what the world would be like. The girls could only hope for the best.

As the kids were making their beds, Chloe took her friends through the plan again.

"Okay, so you guys just start throwing food at each other. Jackie will quickly disable the alarm with the code, which she knows."

"2001."

"Wow, the start of the zombie apocalypse," said Leo. "Smart."

"Then we both sneak out the side door," said Jackie, and Chloe nodded.

"We'll find my parents, then come back for you guys," said Chloe.

"It sounds foolproof," said Marvin. "But what if you run into trouble?"

"Okay, new plan," said Chloe. "You guys start a food fight, then when the adults come in, you guys rush the teachers and try to escape through the front door. Then Jackie disables the alarm, and we slip out the side door. We find my parents, then come back for you guys."

Chloe quickly scribbled down her plan. "Pass this around the table at breakfast," said Chloe.

"Got it," said Jackie, pocketing the note.

•••

Breakfast started out quiet.

Alex Croft smiled at Mr. Samuels who was standing beside him.

"It looks like we did it," he said. "Chloe isn't talking to her friends anymore. I think we broke the last of her curiosity."

All of a sudden, Jackie reached her hand into her oatmeal, scooped it up, and threw it across the table. It hit Michael in the face with a splat!

Michael tried to throw his oatmeal back at her, but it curved slightly to the side and hit Nick, who was sitting on Jackie's left.

Soon everybody was throwing food at each other, and in the middle of all the chaos, Chloe slowly and carefully slid under the table. She tapped Jackie's leg, and Jackie discreetly looked under the tablecloth.

"What are you doing under there?" Jackie whispered loudly.

"Shhh," said Chloe, using one finger to beckon Jackie to get under the table. She went under.

"What are we doing?" Jackie hissed.

"Shhhhhh. Just wait."

There was a noise of broken glass. Someone had thrown their bowl against the wall, smashing it. Then there was a huge ruckus as the adults all came running, and the kids rushed them. The kids headed toward the front door, and the adults chased after them. As soon as the last pair of feet left, and the mealroom door closed, the girls scrambled out from nuder the table, and ran towards the opposite door. Jackie grabbed a plank and put it through the handles on the outside of the door, locking them out from one end.

As they headed towards the side door and alarm, Chloe scooped up another board.

"What are you doing?" Jackie hissed.

"When they go back in, we put this through the handles, locking them in the mealroom."

Jackie looked over at her friend. "Chloe, you're brilliant."

"Thanks. And you're slow."

The girls reached the alarm. Jackie quickly put in the code, pressed Disable, then punched in the door code, and pressed open.

The door came open.

"Here they come. Grab the board."

Jackie grabbed the board, ran to the crowd, and slipped into the chaos. She fell back slightly, then a bit more, and as Alex Croft closed the door behind himself without looking back, Jackie was easily able to slide the board through the handles and lock them in. She decided against it, however, realizing that she would also be locking her friends in.

Instead she brought it outside and locked the outside door with it. Jackie started looking around and up and sniffing the air.

"Jackie!" Chloe snapped, and Jackie turned around to see Chloe laying on the ground. "We'll have time for that later! Right now we have to get out of here."

The girls started running. They ran and ran.

•••

Back at the school, as the teachers cleaned up, Alex Croft asked everyone to stand up. As they were standing up and identifying themselves one by one, Mr. Bryant came to Alex with a piece of paper.

"Alex Croft," he said. "I have identified two missing children."

"Missing children?" asked Alex angrily. "Impossible. Give me that." He grabbed the paper.

"The children were identified by Barbara Meyers as Chloe Simmons and Jackie Peterson."

"Simmons," growled Alex under his breath, slowly looking up from the paper. He hurried to the door and threw it open, looking this way and that for the girls. Luckily when the girls saw a door open, they were smart enough to dive behind a bush.

Alex ducked back inside after a long moment of looking around.

"Did you find them?" asked Ms. Tamara.

"No." Alex cracked a wicked, dark smile. "But don't worry. They'll be back by midnight tonight. Trust me, they won't even make it past the gate."

The girls looked up from the bush and saw that they were a while away from the building. Another 20 minutes and the school would be out of sight and out of mind. The girls high fived each other.


	2. Meeting Seth

"Chloe, have you ever considered that maybe-?"

"Shhh!" Chloe hissed.

Jackie sighed. "What?"

"We can still see the school. And we heard the door open a moment ago. That means they can still see and hear us. So you need to be quiet."

Jackie blew out a breath. "Whatever."

"Jackie! How could you even think to say that? Look around you. Smell this air. Check out what's under our feet! It's all green and stuff. And...ooh! Look, what is this?"

"Our hiding spot?" Jackie guessed.

"Yeah, but what the heck is it? It looks so awesome! Look. All brown and green and pretty."

"We should probably get a move on," said Jackie.

"Hey, Jackie, why don't you touch it?"

"I think we should probably-"

"Come on, Jackie. Please?"

Jackie closed her eyes and slowly reached out to touch the bush. She felt it and opened one eye.

"It's...it's not eating me," she said in surprise.

"Pfft, why would it eat you?"

"Wow. Chloe, you were right. This place isn't bad." A smile grew on her face.

Suddenly a spider crawled oonto her hand.

"Ahhhhh!" she screamed. "Get it off, get it off, get it off!"

She shook it off and it landed on Chloe's hand. Chloe cupped the spider in her hand.

"Wow. It's so cute. I wonder what it is."

"It's scary! I hate it. I'm going back."

Chloe put the spider on the ground and grabbed Jackie's hand.

"Jackie, wait! It's gone. And you promised you'd help me find my parents."

"Well..." Jackie smiled again. "Okay, let's go."

"Yes!" Chloe hurried off, and Jackie followed her.

8 hours later:

"Chloe?"

"Yeah, Jackie?"

Jackie yawned. "Chloe, we've been walking for a really long time. Let's take a break."

"But we're almost there, Jackie. I can feel it."

"Almost where?" Jackie asked.

"Where we're supposed to be."

"You mean the States?"

Chloe nodded excitedly.

"You're crazy!"

"Look, right up ahead! There's something! A whole bunch of those brown and green things! Except they're bigger. I'm gonna make a run for it!"

"Chloe, I wouldn't do that if you were-"

Chloe ran right into the fence.

"Ouch!"

Jackie ran over to Chloe. "Chloe, oh no! Are you okay?"

Chloe looked at the fence. "This thing is in the way." She looked down at the ground sadly and grabbed the fence. Suddenly she gasped happily, and a big smile grew on her face.

"Hand and leg holes!" she cried, jumping up into the fence. "We can just climb over!"

"Uh...Chloe?" Jackie looked up at the sky and Chloe looked up too. The fence went all the way up and around. Chloe looked up sadly. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Chloe," said Jackie sincerely. "I guess this is it." She put a hand on Chloe's arm. "Let's go back."

Chloe suddenly got a determined look on her face. "No!" she said loudly. "I'm not going back. We've come too far."

"And how do you suggest we go any further when this thing is in the way?" Jackie gestured toward the fence.

"Hmmmm." Chloe looked thoughtful.

All of a sudden, a tiny object shot past them and landed in the ground.

"What was that?" Jackie cried.

"I don't know, but look." Chloe looked closely at the fence, which had one of its metal rungs split. Chloe pulled it off.

"Look." Chloe showed the piece to Jackie.

Jackie walked over and plucked the tiny thing out of the ground. "It's a tiny little piece of metal."

"We need to find more of them. They're tearing this thing apart." She glanced back at the fence.

Chloe's eyes suddenly got wide. "Jackie? Look." She pointed towards and past the fence. "Is that...a human?"

"Uh, yeah I'm a human!" said the little boy excitedly. "What else would I be?" He laughed.

"You're a human!" Jackie exclaimed. "What about the zombies?"

"My brother said there's no such thing as zombies," said the little boy.

"There's more of you?" Chloe asked.

"Hey, what's with the fence?" the little boy asked.

"Hold on," said Jackie. "There's more of you?"

"Yeah. Millions!" cried the boy.

"How many is that?" Chloe asked.

"Graham, there you are," said a boy, coming out of the woods. "What the heck?" he said, when he saw the girls trapped inside the fence. "Hang on." He produced a pair of wire cutters.

"Ahhhh!" Jackie screamed. "He's gonna kill us!"

"What?" said the boy. "Heck, no! These are to get you out of that fence. Stand back."

The girls backed up a few paces. The teenage boy cut a hole in the fence so Jackie and Chloe could walk right out.

"Whoa!" Chloe cried. "Now that's impressive."

"What are you two doing behind that fence?" the teenage boy asked.

"We...sorta live back there." Jackie pointed behind her.

"Not anymore!" said Chloe excitedly. "We are out of the Alex Croft building forever."

"The what?" The boys exchanged a look.

"Um, never mind," said Chloe.

"So, if you guys live back there, why do you want to escape?" asked the teenage boy. "I'm Seth and this is Graham. So what exactly is this all about? Why are you trying to escape from your home?"

"That is not home," said Chloe. "That is a prison."

"Oh, no!" Graham his behind his older brother. "They're prisoners and criminals!"

"I suppose that would explain the fence," Seth said thoughtfully.

"She means a metaphorical prison," said Jackie. "Come on, Chloe, let's find your parents." She looked at Seth. "How far is the United States?"

Seth looked at them. "I don't understand."

"Oh, no," said Chloe. "The States doesn't exist. It's been vaporized."

"What?" exclaimed Seth. "No it hasn't."

"Oh, good! So let's go."

"Don't you two live back there?"

"Kinda," said Jackie.

"We do not!" said Chloe, slightly annoyed. "That's just a stupid building. Jackie, they put up a fence to keep us in. That's not a home. Do you ever want to meet your parents?"

"Chloe, I don't get you sometimes. What's wrong with the Alex Croft building?"

"Everything," said Chloe. "There's people out here. My parents exist." She sighed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Well, I could try," said Jackie.

"Listen," said Seth. "Why don't you guys come back to my place for some dinner?"

"Sure, why not?" said Chloe.

"Yes, please," said Jackie.


	3. Dinner

**Author's Note: Two chapters of this book will be posted in the next ten days. The reason is because I am sending the first four chapters of this book into a publisher on June the 5th. That also mean I have a copyright on this book, the plot, and the characters.**

**Enjoy!**

**I will be getting back onto a regular writing schedule on June sixth. I will discuss all that with you guys when I get back.**

**Also, as a part of getting this book ready for the publisher, I will be doing MAJOR editing on this book. That includes editing plot points and certain dialogue, so you may want to reread this book after June the fifth.**

**Wish me luck! You guys are the best fans in the world!**

 

Seth unlocked the door and pushed it open.

“Hey, mom,” he called out.

“Hey, mommy!” Graham ran to his mother and into her arms. She scooped him up.

“Hi, boys,” she said. “Seth, I hope you weren’t letting her brother shoot again.”

“Mom, relax, it’s just a BB gun. It can’t technically hurt anybody.”

“I still don’t like you letting him shoot it. He’s only six years old.”

“Mom, I brought over some friends for dinner.”

“Oh, who’d you bring?”

“Mom, this is Jackie and Chloe.”

“Well nice to meet you, girls.” Seth’s mom went over to the two girls, who were standing awkwardly by the door.

“Hi,” said Chloe. Seth’s mother held out her hand for a handshake. Chloe just stared at it.

“Erm, what’s that all about?”

“You’re supposed to shake it,” said Seth’s mother, looking surprised.

“Mom, can we talk for a second? Alone?” asked Seth.

“Okay.” Seth’s mother looked even more surprised. “Girls, feel free to come in and sit down.”

 

 

***

 

Seth took his mother upstairs to his room and closed the door.

“Seth, I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“I know this may be hard to grasp Mom, but they came from well….” Seth looked into his mom’s eyes, trying to figure out what to say.

“…..An alternate universe.” It was the best he could do, and his mother believed in alternate universes.

“Really? I always knew they existed. How did they get here?”

“Well, the portal from their universe opened for a few minutes, and a bully pushed them through, and the portal won’t open for another ten years, so they’re going to the States to find a home. There’s a precise location where the portal will open in ten years, and she’s going to make sure she’s there. But for the next few days, could the girls just stay here?”

“Well…alright, I guess so.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’m just going to have a quick word with them in private.”

“Of course. I’ll let them know that you’d like to talk to them up here.”

A minute later, Jackie and Chloe came up.

“Hey, Seth,” said Chloe.

“So what happened?” wondered Jackie.

“I told my mom you were from another universe.”

“Cool!” cried Chloe.

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Why exactly did you do that?”

“Well, it was the easiest explanation.”

“ _That_ was the easiest explanation?” asked Jackie flatly.

Chloe looked confused. “I don’t really get it.”

“It may not seem like it to you two-“

“It doesn’t,” interrupted Jackie.

Seth continued. “But it was for the situation. See, if I had told her you were trapped behind a fence and I had let you out, she would start asking a bunch of questions, and she would think you were some kind of criminals and make you go back.”

“I kind of want to go back,” said Jackie.

“I don’t,” said Chloe firmly.

“Look, it may not seem like a good explanation, but for me and my mom, it was. My mom believes in alternate universes, and I knew as long as I could provide a good explanation of how you girls came into our universe, that she wouldn’t ask any other questions. I needed a cover up story, and if I had told her the real story, my mom would have made a federal case out of it.”

“A what?” asked Jackie.

“Never mind,” replied Seth.

“So what’s the story you told your mom?” asked Jackie.

“I told my mom that you were in another universe, and then the portal between our universes opened for a few seconds, and a bully pushed you through. So now you’re looking for a place to stay, until you can make it to the States. Well, a particular place in the States, where the portal will open in approximately 10 years.”

“What portal?” demanded Jackie.

“The one that doesn’t really exist,” said Chloe. “He’s really taking us to my parents.” Chloe looked at Seth. “Right?”

“Exactly. Just make sure you remember the cover up story, and if you ever get stuck, I’ll help you out.”

“Okay!” said Chloe excitedly.

“I’m keeping an eye on you,” warned Jackie.

“Do you guys want to go and get some food?” asked Seth.

“Sure,” said Chloe.

“I guess so,” added Jackie.

 

 

***

 

“Hey, mom,” said Seth, coming down the stairs.

“Hey, honey. I hope your friends like cheeseburgers.”

“What’s a cheeseburger?” asked Chloe.

“Is it like oatmeal?” wondered Jackie.

“Dinner in ten, everybody!” said Seth’s mom.

“Yay!” said Graham.

“Are we everybody?” Jackie whispered to Chloe.

“You guys wanna see my room?” asked Seth.

“You talking to us?” Jackie wondered.

“Yeah. Sometimes in this world, we call girls ‘guys.’”

“Weird,” said Jackie.

“Cool,” said Chloe. “I like learning stuff about this world.”

Graham bounded down the stairs. “Hey, mom, check out my cool cape!”

“Wow, you look great!” said his mom.

“You look really cool,” said Chloe.

“Nice,” said Jackie.

“Hey, Seth, after dinner, can we go out and shoot your BB gun some more?”

“Yeah,” said Seth.

“No,” said Seth’s mother.

“Poop,” said Graham.

“Don’t use that word,” said the boys’ mother.

“Sorry, mommy!” called Graham as he disappeared upstairs to his room.

“Honey, come back! I’m just about to dish up dinner!”

“Oh, good, I’m hungry,” said Chloe.

“Smells…interesting,” said Jackie.

“Jackie,” said Chloe in an annoyed tone.

“What?”

“Give their food a chance.”

Jackie sighed. “Fine.”

Seth and Graham came downstairs and set the table as their mother finished up the burgers.

“Ooh, pretty red stuff!” said Chloe, grabbing the bottle of ketchup, shaking it, and turning it upside down.

“Chloe, stop,” said Jackie.

“She’s fine.” Seth brushed it off. Then he gasped as he saw Chloe was about to open it upside down. “Chloe, stop!”

“Huh?” Chloe looked up.

Seth took the ketchup bottle back from her. “You don’t want to do that. You’ll get ketchup everywhere.”

“Is it good?” asked Chloe.

“Yes!” said Graham.

“Well, that’s a matter of opinion. I prefer mustard.”

“Is that the yellow stuff?” asked Jackie.

“Yeah,” said Seth.

“And the green stuff?”

“Relish,” answered Seth and Graham in unison.

“Cool,” said Chloe.

“Alright, dinner is served,” said Seth’s mother.

She put the burgers in buns and then on the plates.

“Ooh, I can’t wait to eat!” said Chloe, sitting down.

Jackie sat down beside her best friend. “I wonder what these burgers taste like.”

“I know, I’m really excited!” said Chloe.

Jackie picked up her burger and looked at it. Seth and Graham were already putting condiments on their burgers as their mother sat down.

Jackie looked at her friend. “You go first.”

“Happily.” Chloe took a big bite of her cheeseburger. She chewed and swallowed. “That’s pretty good, but it needs something. Graham, can you pass the ketchup?”

“Sure.” Graham passed the ketchup and Chloe added some to her burger. Then she took another bite. “Much better.”

“Okay, I’ll try some,” said Jackie. She took a bite.

“What do you think?” asked Chloe eagerly.

“It’s not good.”

“Jackie, that’s rude,” said Seth.

“It’s okay, honey,” said LeAnne. (Seth’s mother.) “They may not like the food here. What do you want to eat, Jackie?”

“Do you have oatmeal, by any chance?” asked Jackie. “I mean, I’m not trying to be rude.”

“It’s okay. Yes, we have oatmeal,” replied LeAnne.

“Could you make me some?” asked Jackie.

“You don’t know how to make oatmeal?” asked LeAnne, a little confused.

“The adults always did it for me,” explained Jackie. “So no, I don’t.”

“Maybe I could teach you.”

“You could?”

“Of course, honey. I would be happy to.”

“Wow. Thanks!”

Chloe just ate her burger and when she was finished, she cleaned up her dishes.

“Just rinse that off in the sink and then put it in the dishwasher,” said LeAnne.

Chloe rinsed her plate and put it in the dishwasher.

“Mom, can I show Chloe where she can sleep?” asked Seth.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“So, do you have like, a bag or anything?”

“Not really,” replied Chloe.

“Me neither,” said Jackie, putting up her hand.

“So what about extra clothes and stuff? Things to do?”

“Well, I do have this.” Chloe showed Seth her notebook.

“You brought your notebook?” exclaimed Jackie.

“What’s in there?”

“She wrote a story,” said Jackie.

“Yeah.” Chloe held her notebook to her chest. “I mean, I did.”

“That is so cool!” said Seth. “Can I read it?”

“Well, maybe, but I’m still working on it. I mean, I’m not finished yet.”

“Do you know when you’re going to finish it?”

“I don’t have any pencils.”

“We can get you some,” said LeAnne.

“You would do that?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to.”

“Thanks so much!” sad Chloe. She turned back to Seth. “So where do I sleep?”

Seth smiled at Chloe. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He led her upstairs.

“We have two guestrooms. One for you, and one for your friend.”

“Oh, my gosh, it’s so cool!” There’s like, color and stuff! In my room at the Alex Croft building, there’s just a bed, and a bathroom with a sink. But here there’s like, other stuff!”

“Just a bed and a bathroom with a sink? Who does that?”

“Crazy people.”

“It seems that you lived in a building with a lot of crazy people.”

“Well, not my friends, but the adults were definitely pretty nuts.”

Seth chuckled. “It seems that way.”

Chloe suddenly grew upset.

“What’s wrong?” asked Seth.

“I don’t know. I just…I don’t know anything about this place. I’ve only known the inside of the Alex Croft building for my whole life. What if I can’t survive outside? Or, what if the adults were right and it’s dangerous? Like, too dangerous? What if they come after me? What if they take me back? What if they-?”

“Chloe, stop.”

Chloe froze in the middle of the room. “Okay. Now what do I do?”

“No, not that,” said Seth with a little laugh. “I meant stop worrying. You are gonna be fine out here. More than fine. You and Jackie are gonna do great in this world.”

“Are you sure?” asked Chloe hesitantly.

“Yes. I mean, there is some danger out here, but you can’t live your life without some problems.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Seth took Chloe’s hands in his. “You’ll see, it’s all worth it. The fun way outweighs the danger.”

“Jackie should hear this.”

“I’ll go tell her. You get settled.”

***

“The fun way outweighs the danger, huh?” said Jackie, looking around her guestroom.

“Yeah,” said Seth. “Chloe gets it.”

Jackie sat down on the bed. “She always really wanted to see the outside world. You know, this place. I guess I can see why. I guess…I was always just happy in the Alex Croft building. I mean, everything was so simple there. It was all just routine. Nobody got hurt. There was no trouble.”

“Sounds pretty boring, to be honest.”

“Maybe for some people. But for others-“

“Like you.”

“For me, it was fine. I mean, I liked it. It was predictable, but a good kind of predictable. I mean, people are different. I thrive on routine and predictability. Chloe, well, she always wanted something more. Something different.”

“Adventure. Fun.”

“She’s always had such a creative mind. She always imagined how the world would be. I wonder if she got more than she bargained for.”

“Maybe she did. Maybe that’s a good thing.”

Jackie smiled at Seth. “Yeah, maybe. I just want her to be happy.”

“It’s pretty clear that you really care about her.”

“She’s my best friend.”

“I have a question for you.”

“Um, go ahead, I guess.”

“Well, if you liked the Alex Croft building so much, then why did you come out here?”

“Chloe wanted to find her parents, and I’m her best friend. I didn’t want her out here all alone.”

“She’s not really alone.”

“I wanna be there for her. Once she finds her parents, then I know she’ll be safe. Then, and only then, I’ll go back.”

“So you’re still planning to go back.”

“Yes. Can we stop talking about this now?”

“Okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you stressed.”

“Huh?”

“I said, ‘I didn’t-‘”

“I heard you. But what does stressed mean?”

“It’s an emotion. Like fear, anger, sadness.”

“You say that like I should know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t know your emotions? What did they do with you in the Alex Croft building?”

“Well, we got up at 7am, we ate-“

“That was a rhetorical question.”

“Oh. Wait, what?”

“It means a question that you’re not supposed to answer.”

“Okay. This place is complicated.” Jackie sighed.

“You know what, don’t worry about it. You’ll figure it out.”

 

“Yeah, you know what? I’m really tired. Can I go to bed?”

“If you want to. I’ll leave you alone, but if you want to talk, Chloe is down the hall on the left, and I’m down the hall on the right.”

“Thanks. I think I’m good. Where’s the bathroom?” Jackie got up and started looking for the bathroom.

“It’s not in the bedroom.”

“Oh. Our bedrooms in the Alex Croft building had an attached bathroom.”

“Okay, well, here we do things a little bit differently. The bathroom’s this way.”

“Thanks. Oh.” Jackie stopped.

“Something wrong?”

“I don’t have a toothbrush.”

“One second.” Seth dug through the closet and found a toothbrush and some toothpaste. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Jackie grabbed them and went into the bathroom. “Okay, well, I don’t really need anything else. I’m good,” said Jackie through the door.

“Alright, I’m gonna go see Chloe. If you need anything-

“I’ll let you know.”

***

Seth knocked on the door.

“Come in,” said Chloe.

“Hey,” said Seth, coming into the room. “You tired? Jackie’s on her way to bed.”

“Are you kidding? The sun’s still up! I wanna go do some stuff!”

“Well, it is only 7:40. Wanna see how I spend my evenings?”

Chloe nodded excitedly.

“Come on.”

***

Some teenagers were at the park, skateboarding on the halfpipe. Chloe and Seth walked up.

“Whoa, this is cool!” said Chloe. “Oh, that looks like fun!” she cried, pointing to the swings. “So does that! And that!” She pointed to the slide, then the monkey bars. “That looks like the most fun, though!” She pointed to the halfpipe. “Can I do that?”

“Hang on,” said Seth, placing a hand on her arm.

“Hey, Seth,” said a boy, walking over to Seth, with his friend walking behind him.

“Landon, Joel, hey.”

“Who’s your friend?” asked Landon, nodding towards Chloe.

“Chloe, hi!” Chloe said excitedly, extending her hand.

“Chloe, this is Landon-“ Seth gestured to the boy in the blue shirt. “-and Joel.” He gestured to the boy in the baseball cap.

“Cool. Who’s on your hat?” asked Chloe.

“Oh, the Boston Bruins,” said Joel. “My favorite team. I lived in Boston for fifteen years.”

“That is so cool!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool, I guess.”

“Oh, hey, nice wheels!” said Chloe, pointing to Landon’s skateboard.

“You think so? This skateboard was a present from my late grandmother.”

“Oh, well maybe she’ll show up on time the next time you see her.”

“Late is another word for dead,” Seth informed Chloe.

“Oh,” said Chloe. Then it sunk in. “Oh, my goodness. I am so, SO sorry.”

“It’s okay, it was a few years ago,” said Landon with a crooked smile.

“Oh, well good. I mean bad! at the time, but now that some time has passed, it’s good. For you, I mean, because you probably got over it by now. Not for her, because she is dead, but I didn’t mean to bring that up. You know what, I’m gonna stop now.”

“Your friend is funny,” said Landon.

“I am?” asked Chloe.

“Yeah,” said Landon, nodding.

“Cool.”

“Do you just think everything’s cool?” asked Joel.

“Yup,” said Chloe happily.

“Cool,” said Landon.

Chloe giggled.

“So can I try that?” Chloe pointed to the halfpipe.

“You wanna try the halfpipe,” said Joel incredulously.

“Yup, I do.”

“Really? You think you can do it?”

Chloe nodded enthusiastically. “I can do it! I mean, I saw you do it, it looked easy.”

“Okay, take my skateboard.” Landon held out his skateboard.

“Whoa, hang on a second!” Seth got between his friends and grabbed Landon’s skateboard. “I don’t think she should do this.”

“Yes, I can,” said Chloe.

“No, you can’t,” said Seth. He looked at Landon. “She can’t.”

“Why are you telling her what she can and can’t do? Give her a chance.”

“Yeah, Seth. Give me a chance.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” insisted Seth.

“Why not? She’ll never know unless she tries,” said Landon.

“Come on, Seth, let her try,” said Joel.

“Yeah, let me try,” said Chloe.

“Well……” began Seth.

“Too slow! Yoink!” cried Chloe, grabbing the skateboard.

“Chloe, wait!” cried Seth.

“Helmet,” said Joel, tossing it to her. She caught it and put it on.

“Thanks,” said Chloe. “So how do I do this?”

“Alright, get on the skateboard, you gotta keep your balance. Good, keep a distance between your feet. Careful, don’t fall. Nice, looks good.”

“Okay.”

“Now you get on top of the halfpipe. Nice, stand right there. Then you slowly move one foot forward. No, your left foot. The one closer to the edge.”

“Then what?”

“Then you fall.”

 “I  _fall?”_

“You fall, and then you fly.”

“Whoa!” said Chloe in amazement and disbelief. 

“I really don’t think this is a good ide-okay.”

Seth began to step forward and then Landon put his arm out, so Seth just put up his hands and stepped back.

“Alright, so what happens if I don’t fly?” asked Chloe.

“Then you fall off,” said Landon. “But don’t worry, that probably won’t happen.”

“Okay, so I just…” Chloe slowly shuffled her left foot forward, then cried out when the skateboard flew forward and rolled quickly down the halfpipe. “This is awesome!”

“Go, Chloe!” yelled Seth.

“Looking good!” said Joel.

“Nice work, Chlo!” cried Landon.

“Thanks-whoa!” Chloe lost her balance and fell off the skateboard at the bottom of the halfpipe. The boys all ran over to check on her.

Seth helped Chloe up.

“Are you okay?” asked Landon. “That fall looked pretty bad.”

“That was awesome!” whooped Chloe, jumping up.  “Let’s do it again!”

The boys all looked at Chloe.

 

***

 

“So man, where did you meet that girl?” asked Joel. The boys were sitting at a table talking while Chloe was on the playground, on the swings.

“”Well, I met her today. She was with a friend. We just kind of met, and she and her friend didn’t have anywhere to go, so they’re just kind of staying with me,” explained Seth.

“With you?” asked Joel.

“Yeah. Is it so hard to believe that I have two girls staying with me?”

“Well, you’ve never had a date, so, yes,” said Landon.

“It’s not a date,” said Seth.

“So you guys aren’t, you know, going out?” asked Joel.

“No,” replied Seth.

“Oh. Okay,” said Joel.

“I mean, she’s a nice girl, but we’re just friends.”

“She’s a cool girl,” said Landon, smiling.

“Yeah. We have to go, actually. My mom wants us home before dark.”

“Alright, see you later,” said Landon.

Seth went to get Chloe.

“Hey, Chloe,” he said.

Chloe was hanging upside down on the monkey bars by her feet.

“Hi!” squealed Chloe. She laughed. “You’re upside down.”

“Actually, you’re the one who’s upside down.”

Chloe laughed again.

“So, listen, my mom likes me to be home before dark, so we should get home.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Come on, we had some fun. We’ll have a lot more fun tomorrow.”

“You’re right!” Chloe pulled herself right side up again and hopped down off the monkey bars.

 

***

 

When they got home, LeAnne was there to greet them.

“Welcome home, you two.”

“Hey, mom,” said Seth.

“Hi,” said Chloe.

“I’m gonna take Chloe up to see my room,” said Seth.

“Just make sure you-“

“I’ll keep the door open!” called Seth from halfway upstairs.

“Why do we have to keep the door open?” asked Chloe innocently.

“Because we just….it’s so we don’t…she thinks…” Seth looked at Chloe, and Chloe looked back at him innocently.

“It’s just a rule in our house,” said Seth, opening the door to his room and letting her in. “Don’t worry about it.”

Chloe stepped inside and gasped. “Oh, my gosh! There’s stuff in this room! Like, not furniture, but you know, other stuff! Like, stuff!”

“Yeah, there’s decorations, you know.”

“Oh! Yeah, decorations, of course! This is amazing!”

“So, which one do you want?”

Chloe looked back at Seth in disbelief. “Wait,  _really?”_

Seth shrugged. “You don’t really have any decorations in your room, so I thought you might want to pick a couple of things to put in your room.”

“That’s really nice of you. You don’t have to do that.”

“I  _want_ to do it.”

“Well, in that case, I really really like this one!” Chloe grabbed a snow globe off the shelf.

“That’s a snow globe. I got this at a Christmas shop when I was a little kid. I was probably about 7 or 8.”

“There’s tiny people in it.”

“That’s not the best part. Check out what happens if you shake it.” Seth shook it.

Chloe gasped, then smiled as the snow fell over the tiny townspeople. “It’s incredible!”

“You can have it.”

“Thank you!”

“Want one more thing?”

“Okay. Which one?”

“Pick something.”

Chloe’s eyes wandered around the room until she saw a Cabbage Patch Kid on Seth’s bed. The boy had red hair, a red and white shirt, and yellow pants.

“Can I have this guy?” Chloe picked up the Cabbage Patch Kid and held him like one would hold a baby.

“Oh, my gosh, William. I’m sorry, Chloe, but he’s too important to me. I’ve had him for 10 years. He’s like a son to me. My dad got him for me at an antiques store when I was six.”

“Wow. Okay, I’ll pick something else. It’s just, he’s so cute, and I could take really good care of him.”

Seth thought for a long moment. “I have an idea. You can’t keep him forever, but what if you just take care of him for now?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. That way you’ll have some special company until you find your parents. He can always cuddle with you, even when I’m not around.”

“Thank you so much, Seth!” Chloe burst into his arms.

“His bedtime is 9:30,” Seth informed her.

“Oh, well, your clock says it’s 9:15, so we better get to bed. He still has to brush his teeth and everything.”

“Go on, then.”

“Seth?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for an awesome day!”

“No problem.”

As Chloe left, Seth thought,  _If I have it my way, tomorrow will be another awesome day._

 

**So, 3800 words later, we finally have my finished chapter. It took me almost a week. So, yeah.**

**NEU-on or before August 30th**


	4. A Day Out

**Hey, guys. Here's chapter four.**

 

7:00.

Chloe hopped out of bed, hurriedly made her bed, and then walked out of her room.

“Good morning, world!” she announced loudly, but then she heard someone say “Shhh!”

“Huh?” Chloe looked around.

Seth grabbed her arm and carefully pulled her into his room.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Well, you know, just wishing everybody a great morning.”

“It’s seven in the morning.” Seth turned on the light and Chloe saw that he had an amused smile on his face. “And it’s Saturday.”

“I know, seven. So everybody should be up, right?”

“Wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“Right.”

“Right? But you just said wrong.”

“I meant right to your wrong.”

“Which is it?”

“It’s wrong.”

“To what I said or to what you said?”

Seth laughed. “Ok, let me say this a different way. Maybe in the Alex Croft building, you got up at seven, but that’s not exactly how it works here.”

“It wasn’t just me, it was everybody.”

“Well, here, we sleep until ten on weekends.”

“We do?”

“Well, me and my brother do.”

“So I should go back to bed?”

“Sure.”

“What if I can’t sleep?”

“Read a book.” Seth pointed to the bookshelf in the living room.

“Okay.”

Chloe went back to bed and tried to get to sleep.

“I can’t get to sleep,” she said to herself. “This is impossible.”

Chloe tossed and turned for about another half hour, but she had no luck in getting back to sleep.

She went downstairs and cracked open a book.

 

***

 

Seth and the rest of his family woke up to a delicious smell.

Graham burst into his brother’s room.

“Graham, what are you doing?”

“Asking you what that yummy smell is!”

“I don’t know. Let’s go find out.”

The boys went downstairs and found Chloe busy in the kitchen with two cakes on the counter already and taking a third one out of the oven.

“Morning!” she said cheerfully, depositing the just baked cake on the counter. “I made cake!”

LeAnne walked in the room and was surprised at what she saw.

“Wow,” she said. “Chloe, did you do all this?”

“I sure did. I used this book.” She proudly held up a cookbook.

“My cookbook!” exclaimed LeAnne. “You used my cookbook.”

“Yup. I also used….whatever these are.” She held up a wooden spoon and a bunch of measuring spoons.

“The measuring spoons?” questioned Graham.

“Yeah.”

“So did you figure it all out by yourself?” asked Seth.

“Well….kinda. I used that.” She jerked her thumb towards the laptop sitting on the coffee table.

“That’s okay, that’s my computer. I use it for a lot of different stuff,” said Seth. “But I don’t mind if you use it.”

“Good, cause I did.”

“Did you google search it?” asked Seth.

“Google! That’s the name of the website I used!”

“I’m surprised you don’t know about computers,” said Seth.

“Well, I didn’t know they still existed. In…my dimension, they told us that computers were destroyed, you know, in this dimension.”

“Alright, well they weren’t, we can talk more about that later.”

Jackie came into the room, rubbing her eyes. “Hey, guys. What is that smell?”

“I made cake!” said Chloe.

“What’s cake?”

“Food.”

“Good to know. Oh, what’s that thing?!” She rushed over to Seth’s laptop.

“That’s a computer,” Chloe told her friend. “Apparently they weren’t all destroyed, as we were told.” Her tone had a slight bit of annoyance in it.

“So what’s Google?” asked Jackie.

“Oh, I had to use it to look up some stuff to make this cake.”

“This?”

“I meant three.”

“So that would be these.”

“At least they taught you basic grammar,” said Seth.

“Are we gonna eat cake or what?” said Graham.

“Yes, we are,” said Chloe. “I mean, is that okay, Ms. Fischer?”

“Yes, by all means, let’s try these cakes. Chloe, honey, they look delicious.”

“Well, this is the first time I’ve ever done this, so they may not taste as good as they look.”

“They’re probably fine,” said Jackie.

“I’m sure they’re delicious,” said Seth.

Seth grabbed a bunch of forks, plates, and the cake cutter from the top drawer and started cutting slices. When everyone had a slice from each one of the cakes, they all sat down at the table and started eating.

Seth enjoyed two out of three of the cakes, but that was only because he didn’t like coconut, Graham enjoyed all of the cakes, LeAnne liked all of the cakes, Chloe enjoyed all of the cakes, and Jackie didn’t like any of the cakes.

When they were done, LeAnne cleared away all the plates.

“So, I have a few errands to run,” she said. “Does anyone want to come with me?”

“Do I have a choice?” asked Graham.

“Not really,” said LeAnne.

“I don’t really feel like going anywhere,” said Jackie.

“She could look after me!” Graham cried excitedly.

“I don’t know,” said LeAnne.

“Please,” begged Graham. “Please, please, please, please, please!”

“Come on, I can watch him,” said Jackie. “I can do it. He’s a good kid.”

“Well…I guess so. But don’t answer the door.”

“Got it.”

“Please make sure he gets lunch. Not oatmeal.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to leave you some money. If you can’t cook, take him out.”

“Alright.”

“If you do take him out, I want change.”

“I can do this.”

“Well, I’ll go,” said Chloe.

“Alright, I’ll come, too,” said Seth.

“Well, let’s get going,” said LeAnne. “We have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in.”

”I’ll be in the car! I call shotgun!” cried Seth, picking up his mom’s car keys and hopping in the front seat.

Chloe pulled the door open and got in the back. “What’s shotgun?” she asked.

“Calling shotgun means you get the front seat, beside the driver.”

“I’m assuming the driver is your mom.”

“That is correct.”

“So where are we going?”

“The Florentine Mall.”

“Never heard of it.”

“That’s because you’ve been stuck in the Alex Croft building your whole life.”

“I’ve only been here for one day and I’m already discovering how much I’ve been missing.”

“So, there’s a bunch of different stores in the mall, food court, movie theater, all that stuff.”

“Sounds great!”

“It’s lots of fun, my mom just has some stuff to do.”

“Cool, so I get to see the Florentine mall.”

“That’s right, you do.”

LeAnne got in the car and started the engine, driving away and leaving the house behind.

 

***

 

“There it is! I think I see the mall!” Chloe practically shouted.

“Alright, you don’t have to yell,” said Seth.

“Sorry! I mean, sorry.”

“But yeah, that’s the mall. Cool, huh?”

“It’s big.”

“Oh, yeah, they have to fit a lot of stores in there.”

“Like how many?”

“It all depends on the mall. I think this one has about 50 or 60 stores.”

“That’s a lot of stores.”

“So,” said LeAnne, “we have to go to the fabric store, the Sears to replace the broken chair in the living room, and then we have to go grocery shopping on the way home.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Chloe.

“It may not sound like a lot when you say it, but when you actually do it, it’ll take about three or four hours to do everything on the list,” said Seth.

“Wow.”

“So, can we maybe go into like some other stores? Like, just to look around?”

“Maybe, but just a few,” said LeAnne.

“Cool.” Chloe smiled.

 

***

 

“So, what do you wanna do?” Jackie asked Graham.

“I wanna watch my DVD,” said Graham excitedly.

“Which DVD?”

Graham walked away to go retrieve his DVD from his bag, while he sang.

“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea, Spongebob Squarepants!

Absorbant and yellow and pourous is he, Spongebob Squarepants!”

“What is this kid up to?” Jackie said to just herself.

“I got it!” called Graham.

He bounced back into the room with the DVD and put it into the DVD player while Jackie examined the back of the DVD case.

“Hey, what’s the bag for?”

“Oh, well one of them is or school, but the one that I got Spongebob Squarepants out of is for my toys and DVDs that I like, you know, stuff that I can play with during the day and bring over to friend’s houses.”

“Hey, that’s a good idea, I should get one of those!” A broad smile made its way across Jackie’s face.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty smart idea.”

“I haven’t seen your room yet, have I?”

“Nope.”

“So, there’s a sponge that talks, a squid, a starfish, a weird bug thing-“

“A crab!”

“Right, of course. So they all live under the sea, and hang out.”

“There’s also a plankton that tries to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula.”

“And what exactly is a Krabby Patty?”

“Kind of like a cheeseburger.”

“Oh, okay.”

“And there’s a squirrel.”

“How?”

“Air helmet,” said Graham matter-of-factly.

“Okay, then. Anything else I should know?”

“I think that’s about it. Can I press play now?”

“I guess so, kiddo.”

Graham pressed play and the theme song started.

 

***

 

“First stop is the fabric store,” said LeAnne as they walked into the mall.

“Cool,” said Chloe. “I’m excited to see it.”

Seth laughed. “It’s not that big a deal. In fact, it’s kinda boring.”

“I’m sure it isn’t that boring.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Hey, mom, do you think we could go to the Rainforest Café for dinner tonight?”

“Maybe. Why?”

“Well, I was thinking, Chloe and Jackie might really enjoy it. I mean, it’s an incredible restaurant, yummy food, and it’s pretty much the coolest restaurant ever!”

“Wow, that’s actually a great idea. Yeah, I guess we can go.”

“What’s the Rainforest Café?” asked Chloe.

“It’s this awesome restaurant. It’s actually in the mall, but it’s upstairs.”

“Can we maybe take a look?”

“Well, Sears is upstairs, so we have to go up there anyway.”

“Great!”

 

***

 

Jackie woke up on the couch, rubbing her eyes.

“What happened?” she asked groggily.

“You fell asleep,” said Graham with a laugh.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Because you looked so tired, and so peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Thanks,” said Jackie with a small smile.

“It’s noon, can you make me some lunch?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I want a cheese sandwich.”

“Okay. How do I make one?”

“I don't know. Let’s go to the Subway and you can get me a sub.”

“That sounds good.”

“How much did she leave us?”

“20 dollars.”

“Great, let’s get going.”

They left and Graham locked the door behind them.

 

***

 

“Okay, here we are,” said LeAnne.

“This is the fabric store?” asked Chloe in wonder.

“Yes, yes it is,” said Seth.

“It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Chloe.

“It is?” asked Seth.

“Yeah. I mean, the colors, the patterns, the beauty! Don’t you see it?”

“Not until just now.”

“Come on, let’s go!” Chloe ran off through the store and Seth followed.

Chloe started rubbing her cheek against the different fabrics, getting excited over the different colors and patterns, and looking around in awe.

Seth had never been more excited about being in a fabric store.

Chloe even grabbed a few different fabrics and danced around with them.

 

**This chapter will be finished on or before August 1st.**


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